Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum, but I just bought a house in the city I grew up in. I am an engineer and I do not trust myself to make any interior design choices because I am terrible at it.
The house I bought is gorgeous on the outside and in the backyard, however the inside is a little older in styling (i'm 23). So I was looking for a little help and ideas for my house. I'll put pictures up below and say what my ideas are.
Obviously in the kitchen the wallpaper will come down and paint will go up along with a nice backsplash.
The brown carpet that is in the living room and dining room also goes up the steps. and that needs to go. All the doors are a dark wood that I think needs lightened if not painted white, and the railing going up the steps is a little darker than I like. but of course that is all the pictures I have for now. There is hardwood under the carpet under the steps.
Congrats on the new house! Honestly, to me it looks like it has good "bones," i.e. good-size rooms, some nice floors, etc. You're right that it looks dated (e.g. the kitchen wallpaper!). Can you answer some questions?
- What is your decorating style? (if you have one!)
- Is that your furniture in the photos, or are those photos from the seller's listing? (Looks pretty formal.)
- Why do you hate the sunroom?
- How big are the rooms and what will you be using them for?
- How old is the house? I'm asking tihs because you talked about removing the wallpaper, but if it's a pre-1978 house, you have to be careful because of the possibility of lead paint underneath.
I'm not a decorator but there are several on these forums who are VERY helpful. Hopefully your pictures & your answers to some questions will help.
I'd paint the thin, dark crown molding. I hate that stuff. We're house hunting and I'm constantly telling hubby how much I hate those dark lines narrow going around the ceilings of older modern houses.
I'd also take out the chair rail in the dining room. Looks dated. Paint the walls one solid color.
The trim around your windows is white (if they are replacement windows, the trim needs to stay white or it will look weird.) Paint the baseboards white to match.
When you take out the carpeting, there may be hardwood already under it in good condition or needs to be refinished. If not, install new hardwood.
There's Hope for the sunroom. Replace the ceiling with something brighter. Not sure if it can be just painted, it's hard to tell what it's made of. Looks like drop ceilings? Whatever it is, something needs to be done about it.
You'll also need to tear up the green indoor/outdoor carpeting. You can finish the concrete slab with a great epoxy mixed with little stones. I've seen it at a relative's house and it's beautiful. You chose a mix of any color little stones you want. It looks like this:
Eliminating the wall paper, old carpeting, refinishing the floors and painting will make a huge diffrence.
While some people love stained trim, it tends to date a home. I would not hesitate to paint it.
Have you considered hiring a designer to consult on paint colors and other interior choices.
It was the best $150 investment I made in my home. She picked colors I would not have considered and told me why they worked. In my case, windows faces north so warm colors worked best.
Are you moving in before it's all done ? If so, focus on a single room. Nothing worse than living in a whole house that is in a state of rebirth.
I agree the house has good bones. Painting will make a world of difference and I will raise my hand in agreement that stained trim looks terrible. Of course there are a lot of stained trim lovers on this forum but I prefer painted trim. Makes a room look more modern. I think brass dates a home as well. Swap out brass fixtures and cabinet hardware. You will be surprised how easy it is to update the kitchen just by swapping out the hardware.
Fishburn7,
Primer is your friend.
Prime, then pain nice lite colors, even white on the dark wood
in the kitchen on the cabinets.
You will be surprised the tremendous difference new paint
in a pretty color makes. THe whole room will look different.
Paint is also realtively inexpensive to buy, you can take your time,
and you really can't make a mistake, you just repaint it.
Paint all the woodwork that is dark brown, nice bright white.
I like to use the little rubber paint rollers to apply the primer, then the nice white paint.
Paint all wall trim/molding white. Remove all floral window coverings. Replace with blinds or drapes that are your style.
Replace dishwasher, sink, counter tops, lighting, cabinet/drawer fronts and hardware. I prefer shaker style and avoid oak, it’s dated.
Remove bridge above kitchen sink. Makes the kitchen look even more dated.
Paint fireplace surround with high-temperature stove paint. I have metallic brown on my fireplace surround and it looks nice.
Remove carpet in sunroom and paint/replace ceiling.
Add color to bedroom walls.
I like the look of hardwood floors, but for me, they're not a comfortable living choice for flooring. It's too cold in the winter and I hate wearing shoes/socks. But if you like hardwoods, I'd say refinish all that you can in your house. The kitchen floors look nice but don't know if the stain choice is one you like or not.
I have to say it: Don't paint the woodwork! You'll be sorry, because you have to keep painting it when the paint chips and wears. And it will.
That's downright silly. The paint doesn't chip and wear on the crown molding. And baseboards only have wear and tear in specific areas, not all areas. It's not a big deal to touch up areas. Unpainted wood trim is downright dated and ugly when the trim isn't anything special. And that narrow trim in the OP's home isn't special enough to be drawing to it via having it stick out like a sore thumb because it's so dark. Painting isn't something to avoid. Painting is regular maintenance that's part of homeownership.
Unpainted wood trim is downright dated and ugly when the trim isn't anything special.
Dated? LOL I guess every house built before the advent of MDF -- which, by the way, is the only reason painted trim is stylish now, so that builders can get off cheap, and the sheeple have gone along with it -- is ugly to you, then.
Quote:
Painting isn't something to avoid. Painting is regular maintenance that's part of homeownership.
Painting something that doesn't need painting is a waste of time, effort and resources.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
